1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs a recording on a recording medium.
2. Related Art
In ink jet printers, which is an example of a recording apparatus or a liquid ejecting apparatus, a feeding unit (also known as ASF: Auto Sheet Feeder) capable of storing plural sheets as a recording medium is installed. The feeding unit includes a feed roller that rotates in contact with a sheet to feed the sheet to the downstream side, a hopper that supports the sheet and switches its posture between a posture wherein the sheet comes into pressure contact with the feed roller and a posture wherein the sheet is separated from the feed roller, and a return lever that returns a sheet, which might cause a multiple feeding, to an upstream side. In the feeding unit, the uppermost one of the plural sheets is fed out on an one-by-one basis.
The return lever can switch its position between a first position wherein it close a sheet feeding path and a second position wherein it opens the sheet feeding path. In addition to the two positions, the return lever may switch between three positions (see, JP-A-2003-26349, for example). The third position is positioned at a position closer to the upstream side than the first position. In JP-A-2003-26349, the purpose of providing the third position is to pivot the return lever toward the upstream side before the feeding operation is started. With this, a bundle of sheet can be returned to a proper position on the hopper before the feeding operation is started. Therefore, in a feeding waiting state, the uppermost sheet does not come into contact with the feed roller, thereby preventing a multiple feeding.
The provision of the third position can optimize the posture of sheet during a recording operation. That is, in the first position, the return lever advances closest to the sheet feeding path to close the sheet feeding path. When a recording is performed on the sheet in such a position, the rear end of the sheet may be greatly curved and a large back tension is applied thereto, thereby deteriorating the recording quality. Scratches may be caused to the rear surface of the sheet. Therefore, during recording on the sheet, by switching the return lever to the third position so that the leading end moves away from the sheet feeding path and returning the return lever to the first position after the preceding page is discharged, such a problem can be solved.
There is an increasing demand for improving the throughput of an apparatus. However, when the third position is provided to the return lever, the additional return operation from the third position to the first position may delay the feeding operation of the subsequent page. Consequently, it is difficult to improve the throughput.